(EFE) – Fishermen from the island of Sakhalin in the Russian far east found the remains of an enormous unknown marine creature, according to Vladimir Bedzhisov, director of the Sakhalin region’s department of culture.

"One of the fishermen managed to identify the find with the aid of an encyclopedia and, much to his surprise, learned that the animal resembles a a plesiosaur (prehistoric marine reptile)," said Bedzhisov in a statement to the Interfax news agency.

The animal, according to the fishermens’ account, has a length of nearly 7 meters, has dark grey skin and is covered by fine hairs measuring nearly 5 centimeters long.

The tail of the "sea monster", found on one of the shores of the Tatarski Straits, measures 1 m long by 40 cm wide.

Bedzhisov announced that a specialist from the Yuzhno-Sajalinsk Museum in Sakhalin would visit the place where the discovery took place.

I would think this is something akin to what the Japanese pulled up a while ago, a dead and decaying Basking Shark. The same identification was made then, and to someone comparing it to a book illustration, I would say it would be dead on as once the mouth sloughs off you end up with a long vertebral neck. The partial decay, along with baleen, give it a hairy look. Especially since most people probably won’t want to examine it so closely.

I think it’s strange though that the only place this is mentioned is in hispanic news. I’ve found no mention of it in the Russian news such as Interfax or the Sakhalin oblast’s news site.

maybe they are holding out for an offer of money for pictures. Andy Warhol said that everyone should get their 15 minutes of fame, then again, PT Barnum is reported to have said that a sucker is born every minute

I remember in a lot of cases that decaying fibourous flesh has been mistaken for hair or fur, at 7 meters with swelling it could be a vast number of animals! Might not be untrue but it is very vague and non commital!

Why does hair seem so unlikely? Again, this is not a plesiosaur circa 3 or 4 million years ago, but the descendant of that plesiosaur. When I read about the hair, actually, it gave me a gut reaction that this is more likely to be real than less, simply because most tabloids reporters would also think that dinosaurs had no hair, so his fictional Russian find would also be hair free…

To clear up a few things. First off, there is still a large and heated debate as to wether or not dinosaurs were actually reptiles. Secondly, with no adequate description, no photographs, and no tissue samples, it is IMPOSSIBLE to make an identification or even attempt one. And last but not least, have any of you ever seen a dinosaur with, or without hair?

Lee-You bust me up! How’s the sculpture going? I am extremely suspicious of this report. Perhaps, after the fiasco, I am a little “gun-shy”. But without any photos or dna it might as well be a tall tale. But I can always hope.

Speculation, only way to express further proof is to hopefully view a picture. Who knows Dinosaurs may still live amongst us especially, the ones that roamed the oceans. There is alot of ocean still not explored. Canadian Lakes could harbor dinosaur like animals ? Those lakes are dark and gloomy and most lake surroundings have a prehistoric look to them.

Yes Karrde, you are correct. However throwing around scientific names tends to confuse the layman, even the well-read. Not to mention that the description of Sauropterygia claims that they are Marine Reptiles, there is no scientific evidence for this assumption. In fact, if you take a look at the lives and, in particular, the breeding cycles of these amazing animals you find that they did VERY unreptile like things. Such as breeding in extremely cold waters. When looking at modern reptiles we find that such an act would be impossible. There of course is the argument that cold-blooded is a recent adaptaion, however, we again find no scientific evidence of this. I personally reserve judgement on all of this. Not to mention the arguments can get very tedious.

I also managed to uncover a previously undocumented sighting.

I have known this man for more than fifteen years and he was my apprentice for three of those. I know him well and have never known him to alter the truth in any way.

My friend, whom I will not name because I don’t have his permission, was a helmsman aboard the USS Eisenhower(US Aircraft Carrier) during the early 90’s. While on watch one evening he caimed to have spotted a large animal wich he could only describe as a Plesiosaur. The animal it was claimed was roughly 40 feet in length. Now anyone who has ever served aboard ship in the Navy knows that, unless you are in navigation or an officer, you have no idea where you are in the middle of an ocean, Thus the location can not be readily established,(however the Eisenhower’s normal patrols are in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean and he felt sure it wasn’t the med) also the distance from the flight deck to the water line is greater than 70 feet. (I don’t have the actual specs for the Eisenhower) Thus I have no Clear and detailed description, with the exception of long tail, long neck, thick wide body, and four flipper like appendages. I must note here that this animal was ALIVE, not a carcass, it swam away. I would also like to mention that my friend never mentioned the head leaving the water in the classic “nessie pose”. Paleoentologists claim that this is impossible for a Plesiosaur and if you know anything about leverage and bouyancy you would proably agree.

I don’t ask anyone to accept that Plesiosaurs are plying our oceans, just consider what it means if they are.

Keep up the good works, it’s plain to see that the scientific community has closed it’s collective mind.

MR.INSPECTOR, great knowledge and wisdom on the Plesiosaur theory, you have great research. I too think these animals are patroling our oceans. They are an amazing animal, to get one alive would be one of the greatest finds to ever happen for cryptozoology. I wonder in the lakes the caves must have entrances for them to leave in and out of lakes. Now the long neck theory I have a problem with, for those who think lake cryptids are manatees they do not have long tapering necks, some other researchers think they could be a long neck seal. I will probably accept that. In lake okanagan they say the ogopogo may be a Mosaurusor, Basilosaurus, it would be truly remarkable if they roam the waters.

Applause to MrInspector, who spoke my mind as well as his own (in #27, of course, as I have no idea who his friend is). I have to say that I’m still working on believing the disappointing carcass theory, but it’s nice to hope that one day that isn’t what it will turn out to be. I don’t think that everyone who finds these things works in the same frame of mind as those in the know. I bet often-times getting much more evidence than “Hey Bernie! Lookat this!” ever crosses their minds.

Maer you are right about the carcass theory, its been one disappointment after another just when we think a carcass is possible a dinosaur but so far absolutely zero. I guess pleiosaurs are that elusive. Just maybe sooner or later the dinosaur theory will prove to be right that they may exist in lakes and oceans maybe?